Szechuan Beef Tenderloin Stuffed With Peking Duck Recipes

SZECHUAN PEPPERCORN PANCAKES

Steps:

• A peppery Szechuan pancakes recipe - a Chinese classic, Chuck style.
• For the pancakes: In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt and the Szechuan peppercorns. Add the scallions. Add the boiling water slowly and begin stirring it in immediately. Knead the warm dough until it's smooth. Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
• Turn the rested dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 8 equal parts. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each piece out until it's 1/4-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 5-inch circles of dough (or just cut them out using a knife). Cover the prepared pancakes with a damp towel to keep them from drying out while making the rest. For best results, layer the pancakes on pieces of parchment paper to keep them from sticking.
• Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan over low heat. Add the pancakes and cook until browned on both sides (about 2 minutes altogether; the second side will cook more quickly than the first side). Continue with the remainder of the pancakes, placing the cooked ones on a tray lined with paper towels to absorb some of the oil.
• For the garnish: To crisp up the duck skin, saute in a pan over medium heat until crispy, about 2 minutes (do not add oil). Once cooked, place the skin on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• Top the pancakes with the shredded duck meat, crispy duck skin, scallions, cucumbers and hoisin sauce.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• For the duck: Prick the duck all over with a small knife or fork. Carefully pour hot water over the duck to rinse. Discard the hot water. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and dry all over by patting it with paper towels. Sprinkle the duck with salt and pepper and leave it in the roasting pan until ready to cook.
• In a small bowl, mix together the honey, 6 tablespoons water, five-spice, soy sauce and brown sugar. Brush the duck all over, inside and out. Let dry for about 10 minutes and then brush again. Repeat this process until you have used all but 4 to 5 tablespoons of the glaze (reserve this glaze). Ideally, let the glaze marinate on the duck overnight, leaving it uncovered in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the duck in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Flip the duck over, baste with the reserved glaze and cook until the skin is crisp and golden brown, another 45 minutes. Make sure you check halfway through that it is not getting too dark. If it is getting too dark before half the cook time is up, turn your heat down and lower the rack in the oven. When the duck is cooked, remove from the oven and let rest while you make your sauce.
• For the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and set aside. Next, heat a pan or wok over medium heat and add the hoisin, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce. When the sauce starts to bubble slightly, add the cornstarch mixture and stir well to thicken. Set aside and let cool. Carve and slice some duck. Place a teaspoon of the sauce in the center of each pancake, add a couple slices of duck, garnish with the scallions and cucumbers and serve immediately.

SZECHUAN BEEF

Steps:

• Mix the sliced beef with soy sauce, cooking wine, and cornstarch and set aside. Heat the wok and 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Stir-fry the garlic and jalapeno pepper until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef and the sauce ingredients and stir-fry over high heat just until the beef is no longer pink on the outside, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the green onions during the last 1 minute of cooking.

SZECHUAN BEEF TENDERLOIN STUFFED WITH PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• For the edamame:
• Add soybeans in their pods to a pot and cover with water. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove soybeans from their pods and add to a pot (reserving about 1/2 cup for texture in a separate bowl) along with chicken stock. Set aside until needed, at which time you will heat and then puree just before serving.
• For the rice:
• Rinse rice in strainer under cold water. Add rice, 3 3/4 cups cold water and salt to a saucepot. Cover and let soak for a half hour. Remove lid, then turn heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes without removing the lid. Transfer to a mixing bowl, stir in tarragon, vinegar, and cover with a clean damp kitchen towel and keep at room temperature.
• For the stuffing:
• Remove the meat from the Peking duck, reserving the skin and bones in a saute pan. Finely shred enough duck meat to make 6 tablespoons shredded duck, and place in a mixing bowl. Stir in scallions, hoisin sauce, and ginger soy syrup and set aside at room temperature until needed.
• For the filet mignon:
• Cut a slit in the top center of each steak to hold the stuffing. With a spice grinder, with a mortar and pestle (if you are strong and persistent), or with a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, pulverize the wasabi peas, peppercorns, and salt, together. Stuff the steaks with even amounts of the duck mixture and tie up with butcher's string to help them keep their shape through the searing process. Coat each filet with the wasabi/peppercorn mixture and set aside briefly. Return to the edamame and heat the beans and chicken stock over medium-high heat until the chicken stock is reduced by half. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• For the sauce:
• To the pan of duck skin and bones, add enough water to cover and the demi-glace. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half and strain through a chinois. Discard the skin and bones. Season the reduction with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a small bowl and keep warm by nesting the bowl in another bowl of hot water.
• To cook the filet mignon:
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat in a saute pan with oven safe handles (reserving the other tablespoon of oil). When the oil begins to shimmer add the steaks to the pan, stuffed side down first, and sear, leaving undisturbed for the first 2 minutes or so to let the caramelization process begin to allow the stuffing to integrate into the meat and to prevent tearing the beef. Add the reserved grapeseed oil and flip the steaks, searing the other side in the same way, leaving undisturbed for about 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven to finish to an internal temperature of 125 degrees F as measured with an instant-read thermometer, about 8 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness. Remove from oven and let carryover cook to about 132 degrees F for medium-rare, or cook to your liking. When you have placed the filet mignon in the oven, puree the edamame with an immersion blender and toss in the reserved whole beans for texture. Cover and keep warm. Remove steaks from oven, if done, and let rest as indicated above.
• For the rice:
• Using a 3-inch circle cutter, form the sushi rice into "cakes." Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and lightly fry the rice circles until golden brown on each side. Leave each side undisturbed for the first 2 to 3 minutes to prevent the "cakes" from breaking apart. For the carrots, heat the canola oil in a saute pan and deep-fry carrots. Spoon some edamame puree in the left center of serving plate and some duck essence (sauce) on the right center of plate. Place a sauteed circle of rice in the center topped with a stuffed steak and 2 fried carrots on the very top.
• Recipe courtesy Ming Tsai:
• In a pan lightly coated with oil, combine garlic, ginger, and scallions over medium heat, season with salt and pepper, and let sweat. Deglaze pan with soy sauce, honey and lime juice. Let reduce by 30 to 40 percent until the mixture becomes a syrup, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool and transfer to a bottle. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: about 2 cups or 32 servings of 1 tablespoon each.